MONTGOMERY COUNTY — Jose Negrete drowned in the San Jacinto River on Sunday, July 12, 2026, after being overcome by the current while fishing near Porter, Texas, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. He was 33 years old.

Negrete was fishing in the San Jacinto River near the intersection of Hill Road and Sorter Road when the incident occurred. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office received a call about a possible drowning at approximately 6:18 p.m. that evening.

Multiple acquaintances who were with Negrete at the time attempted to help him from the shoreline but were unsuccessful. The North Montgomery County Fire Department Dive Team later recovered his body approximately 50 feet from the shoreline.

“The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit and Crime Scene Investigators responded to the scene and conducted an investigation. At this time this appears to be a tragic accident and there are no indications of any criminal acts related to this death,” the sheriff’s office said.

Why It Matters

The San Jacinto River has been the subject of environmental studies due to historical industrial contamination, including a 2016 review published in Environmental Science and Pollution Research that examined the deposition of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans in the river. While water quality and safety concerns have been raised in past research, Sunday’s incident was attributed solely to river current conditions during a recreational activity.